Stay
by shippershape
Summary: Lindy's feelings for Tommy are starting to feel a little too real. Worried that he'll end up like the rest of the men in her life, she decides she needs a distraction. When she runs into Jake she figures it's a perfect opportunity. That is, until Tommy walks in on them.


Lindy was starting to wonder if she was cursed. Everyone around her ended up hurt. First her mother, then her sister. Her boyfriend/ex-boyfriend/the narc who had gotten her arrested had been murdered. Even the guys she had casual encounters with at bars seemed to wind up dead. It was all beginning to weigh heavily enough on her that the closeness that had appeared between her and Tommy was starting to make her uncomfortable.

Lindy liked him. He was kind, if a little hotheaded, he was smart and funny and hot. God he was hot. But the memory of Ben was fresh on her mind, and every time Tommy looked at her with that stupid smile all she could see was him tied to a chair, throat slit just like the others.

"God I'm damaged." She groaned, tying her hair back as she slid on a pair of running shoes. She'd always been into fitness, and the fact that a psychotic serial killer was stalking her had motivated her to get in seriously good shape. If she couldn't beat him, maybe she could outrun him. It helped to have a back-up, to take back some semblance of control. Someone knocked on her door, pulling her out of her thoughts. Frowning, Lindy pressed her eye to the peephole, sighing loudly when she saw Tommy on the other end. She swung the door open, crossing her arms across her chest.

"Hi." He smiled at her. She just stared back at him, waiting. "Sleep well?" Lindy rolled her eyes.

"Why are you here?"

"Are you going for a run?"

For the first time, Lindy noticed what he was wearing. Instead of his usual jeans and button up combo he was wearing shorts and trainers. She raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah. I am. I was actually just heading out, so…" She gestured for him to leave, but he ignored her.

"I'm coming with you. It's not safe for you to be running by yourself anymore." Lindy opened her mouth to protest but he cut her off. "It's non-negotiable. You want to run, fine. But you're not going alone." Huffing in frustration, Lindy stepped back, letting him inside. She retreated to her room to grab her keys and her phone, not bothering with her headphones. Something told her Tommy was a chatty jogging companion.

"Alright." She re-emerged, shoving him back into the hallway and locking the door behind them. "Try to keep up."

It turned out Tommy was in pretty good shape, not that Lindy hadn't already noticed that, the skinny jeans her wore around the unit weren't exactly unflattering. He kept pace with her with some effort, and Lindy found herself pushing harder than she would have if she were alone. She had been wrong about Tommy being chatty, he was silent beside her, but the quiet was a comfortable one. Deciding to add another mile to her normal route, just for spite, Lindy took a sharp left and ran straight into a runner headed in the opposite direction.

"Oh. Crap. I'm so sorry." She had bounced right off of him, landing on her ass on the pavement. Tommy had fallen a little behind, and she suddenly realized she couldn't actually see him around. The man she'd run into was standing over her, and he offered her a hand. She took it gratefully, pulling herself to her feet. As she came face to face with him, Lindy realized that face was a familiar one.

"Lindy." Jake grinned at her, not letting go of her hand. She smiled, glad to see him despite how their last encounter at her party had ended. She'd been too embarrassed to take his calls, but it looked like he wasn't holding a grudge. "It's good to see you." She nodded.

"Yeah, it's good to see you too. I'm sorry I haven't called you back, I just thought you'd be mad at me." She shrugged. Jake didn't look surprised. He also didn't look angry.

"I'm not. I don't blame you for what happened, I just wish I'd known what you were going through. Maybe I could have helped." Lindy blew a stray lock of hair out of her face.

"I would have told you, but…"

"You thought I was a serial killer." He finished her sentence, a note of amusement in it. Just as she was gearing up to apologize, she felt a hand on her back. Instinctively, she jerked around, plummeting her fist into her assailant's stomach. She looked on in dismay as Tommy clutched his stomach, winded, and glared at her. Oops.

"Shit. Sorry." She patted him awkwardly on the back as he caught his breath. Lucky for him, she'd been caught with her guard down. If she had really put her mind to it he would have a lot more than the wind knocked out of him. Jake was peering curiously at the two of them, and he waved at Tommy.

"Good to see you, detective." He said, a trace of sarcasm in his voice. Considering the last time the two of them had seen each other Lindy couldn't really blame him. Tommy nodded weakly.

"Hey." He rasped, and Lindy sighed.

"I really didn't hit you that hard. You should know better than to sneak up on me." She told him. He straightened up with a pained expression.

"I didn't sneak up on you. I was calling your name from half a block away." He turned to face Jake. "I guess you were distracted." His tone was pleasant enough, but there was something a little more menacing in his eyes. Ignoring it, Lindy turned back to Jake.

"We should get going, it was good to see you though. I'm sorry I ran into you. And about everything else." She turned away, about to take off when she heard him say her name.

"Lindy. Would you maybe want to get dinner again? Now that you know I'm not a serial killer? We can meet at a restaurant this time, I promise." Lindy swiveled to face him, surprised. Tommy was still standing a foot away, looking uncomfortable.

"Sure." She grinned at Jake. He really was a nice guy, and she needed a distraction from whatever was going on between her and Tommy. "I'd love to. You have my number." Her gaze flitted back to Tommy. "Give me a call later." Jake nodded, and Lindy stepped back into her running. She heard Tommy's footsteps behind her, and wondered how long it would take for him to offer his opinion. It didn't take long.

"So, you're going out with Jake again." He let the sentence hang in the air, not really a question." She didn't respond. "Do you really think that's a good idea?" It was clear from his tone that he thought it was the opposite, but Lindy found that didn't bother her.

"I'm not going to stop living my life." She muttered, realizing that she had basically broken into a sprint when she struggled to catch her breath between words. "He's nice. I need something in my life that isn't this case."

"He's a suspect."

"Not anymore." Lindy said, warning in her voice. She really didn't feel like having this conversation. They arrived back at her building, and he walked her up the stairs to her apartment.

"You know you probably shouldn't be out without a protective detail, right?" Tommy was frowning down at her as Lindy slid her key into the lock. She paused.

"You are so not coming on my date. I don't want a chaperone."

"Whether or not you want one isn't really my concern." He looked off, and Lindy could tell this was bothering him more than he wanted her to know.

"Okay, so what happens when we come back here?" She asked, gesturing to her apartment as she pushed the door open. Tommy shrugged.

"Someone will be here, outside, like normal. Me, or Yeager." Lindy raised her eyebrows.

"What about my privacy?" That earned her a look of confusion.

"You've never been worried about your privacy before."

"Well I wasn't actually planning on sleeping with any of the guys I was seeing before, seeing as how I thought all of them were serial killers." She said sarcastically, shaking her head as pulled the elastic out of her hair. Tommy was staring at her now, and she had a feeling it wasn't because she'd taken her hair down.

"I-oh." He looked flustered, then annoyed, glancing away as she met his eyes. He looked delicious like that, cheeks pink, head down. Lindy watched a bead of sweat roll down his neck and found herself imagining how salty his skin would taste if she were to close the gap between them and satisfy that urge for good. Pushing the thought away, Lindy recognized that this was exactly why she needed to go out with Jake. Nothing could ever happen with Tommy.

"Yeah. No chaperone. I'm just going to have to not get killed for one night." She sighed. These days that was easier said than done. "I'm going to shower. If you're going to be hanging out here all day I would kind of prefer you take one too. I'll be done in ten." She waved her hand in front of her nose. He cracked a smile.

"Yeah, alright. Thanks. I have a change of clothes in my car." Lindy nodded, heading towards the bathroom. She heard the door close behind him, and pulled off her top. The way this week was going her date with Jake, and a little sexual release, couldn't come fast enough.

A few minutes later she stepped out of the bathroom in a towel, calling out into the living room.

"I'm done. Shower's all yours." She couldn't hear anything, and peered down the hallway, spotting Tommy's head poking out over the top of the couch. "Tommy." No answer. An image flashed into her mind, of the guy from the club, her phone stuffed in his mouth as blood dripped down his throat. Her pulse spiked, heart hammering in her chest. "Tommy!" She sprinted toward the couch, slipping on the water that had dripped from her hair, and came skidding to a halt in front of him. His head was tilted forward, eyes closed, but there was no blood that she could see. She grabbed his shoulders, shaking him a little desperately. His eyes shot open, hands flying up to catch her around the wrist.

"Lindy?" He stared blearily up at her, eyes focusing as he noticed the panic on her face. "What's wrong?" Feeling like an idiot, Lindy realized he had just fallen asleep. She let out her breath in a whoosh, punching him hard in the arm. "Ow! What the hell was that for?" Lindy fell onto the couch beside him, clutching her chest.

"You scared the crap out of me. You idiot." She turned to look at him, and as his eyes traveled south from her face she remembered she was still wearing a towel. She glared. "I was coming out here to tell you I was done with the shower. But apparently your idea of 'on the job' is sleeping on my couch and I thought the psycho had gotten in here and slit your throat." Hand still pressed to her chest, Lindy stood. Tommy was frowning at her thoughtfully. He released her arms.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I didn't mean to fall asleep either, it's just been a long couple of nights." Lindy suddenly wondered how many extra hours he was putting in on this case, and how many of those were because of her. Her annoyance faded away, replaced by concern.

"You should take a night off. You worry too much." She grabbed his hand pulling him up and pushing him toward the bathroom. "You also stink. Shower. Now." He shook his head in amusement, closing the door behind him, and Lindy made her way to her bedroom to get dressed.

A couple days went by, and Jake called and set up a date for Friday night at seven. He had promised that he wouldn't surprise her by showing up at her apartment this time, and she was actually looking forward to it.

When Friday rolled around Lindy found herself sitting in a very nice restaurant across from a very handsome Jake. She let the wine, and his accent, lure her into a hazy buzz, and by the time the check came she was more than ready to move the date back to her place. He hadn't had much to drink, and drove them both there, parking across the street. He looked so good, and she had been lusting after a certain unnamed detective for the past few weeks, so when he kissed her outside her door she responded with enthusiasm. They made their way to the couch, leaving a trail of clothing in their wake, and Lindy was working on his belt when she heard a phone ring. She ignored it, but Jake reached to grab it, wincing apologetically.

"Really?" She asked, frustrated. He kissed her quickly, then pressed the phone to his ear.

"Hi." Groaning, but not moving from where she currently sat on top of him, Lindy stuck her tongue out at him. A few seconds later, her own phone went off, and she scowled at the picture of Tommy flashing across her screen. She picked it up.

"Men." She spat vehemently into the mic. There was a confused pause on the other end.

"What?"

"Nothing. What do you want?" She didn't bother masking the irritation in her voice. Things had been going exactly the way she wanted them to, and now she was sitting almost entirely naked on top of a guy and they were both talking to other people. She might be a hacker, but sometimes she hated technology.

"Look, I'm sorry if I'm interrupting, but I need to talk to you, now. Are you home?" Lindy looked down at Jake, who was arguing into his phone. She deflated a little. So much for getting some of that sexual frustration worked out.

"You're not. And yeah, I am. Jake's just… working."

"Okay, good. Because I'm here." Sure enough, Lindy could hear the sound of boots outside her door.

"Wait, Tommy, no-" But the door had already swung open, and Tommy stepped through the doorway, jaw dropping as he glanced up to see Jake and Lindy still tangled together on the couch. "Ah." There was a flash of something, anger maybe, and then he spun around. Giving him that spare key was starting to seem like a bad idea.

"Shit. Shit." He practically leaped back out the door, slamming it behind him. Lindy looked down at Jake, who was staring up at her in confusion but still chattering away about one of his client's bail bonds. She slid off of him, grabbing her dress off the floor and pulling it on. She gave him a meaningful look, and he said a quick goodbye before hanging up.

"What's going on?"

"I'm really sorry, but you've got to go. Something's happened with the case, Tommy needs me." She threw him the shirt she'd practically ripped off of him a few minutes ago with a little regret. He complied, looking disappointed but not angry.

"Okay." Now fully clothed, he grabbed his keys, and kissed her on the cheek before reaching for the doorknob. "I'll call you?" She nodded, and he swung the door open to find Tommy leaning against the wall in the hallway. The two men didn't make eye contact as Jake retreated. Lindy pulled the door open a little wider, and waited for Tommy to come in.

"You said Jake was working." He accused, the moment her door clicked shut. Lindy rubbed at her temple, the first dregs of a headache already starting.

"He was. Sort of. He was on the phone." Tommy looked nonplussed.

"He was on the phone. While you were…"

"We weren't…he just got a call while we were… you know what? Let's just drop it." She sat back down on the couch, waiting for him to join her. Instead Tommy hovered in the corner, eyeing the couch suspiciously. It took her a moment to realize what his problem was. "There was no sex on the couch, weirdo. It's safe." The expression on his face made it clear he didn't believe her.

"You do know that I saw you, right?" There was an edge to his voice that Lindy hadn't heard before, and she didn't really care for it. She knew there was something between them, and she wasn't sure if this was jealousy, but after the night she'd had she just wanted to forget this had ever happened.

"Relax. I never even got his pants off. Now you can sit, or you can stand, but I'm kind of hoping there was actually a reason you barged in here tonight other than mindless voyeurism." He shot her a glare full of sarcasm at that, but his angsty aura had lightened considerably when Lindy assured him nothing had happened, and he pulled his phone out of his pocket.

"We caught a lead, I need to know if this girl means anything to you." He held out his phone, a picture of an unfamiliar blonde smiling back at her. She shook her head.

"No. Should she?" He let out a noise of frustration.

"I guess not. She disappeared a few weeks ago, around the same time you got on Flirtual. We thought there might be a connection, but…"

"But I would remember if she'd been in the profile I built out of possible Flirtual victims." Lindy finished. He nodded. "Was that it?" Tommy looked uncomfortable.

"Yeah, that's it. Sorry that I ruined your date." She waved it off.

"It's okay. I don't know if he's really my type anyways." Tommy stared at her incredulously.

"You were straddling the guy five minutes ago." He made his way over to the couch, giving it one last inspection before sitting beside her.

"That was just recreational." She sighed, laying her head on the armrest and stretching her legs across his lap. His hands settled on her calves. It felt dangerously good to have that contact, and she wished she had gotten this out of her system before he arrived. Her eyes fluttered closed.

"I see." Lindy opened one eye at the sound of his voice. He didn't look judgemental, just generally disapproving.

"What's your problem?" She wondered aloud.

"Nothing."

"I have needs, okay, just like everyone else." She poked him with her toe, but he didn't smile.

"Well, hopefully next time I don't have to see your needs in action." He muttered. She grinned suggestively up at him, still a little buzzed and completely unable to help herself. She could swear he was blushing, but the lighting was pretty dim.

"Really? Hmm." The fact that he was the reason her needs had gotten this bad in the first place was on the tip of her tongue, and she debated internally whether he'd take that news as well as she'd hoped.

"What are you doing?" He asked, and it wasn't until then that Lindy realized she'd been trailing her fingers along the outside of his thigh. Her hand stilled.

"Sorry." She really wasn't. He was here, and he smelled amazing, and she could feel the warmth of his legs through his jeans. Her brain was telling her to call it a night, to send him home, that keeping him safe did not include taking him to bed. But her body was still revved up from earlier, and he was the cause of this problem in the first place, and why not just go to the source? "Actually." She said, trying to force the invitation out but failing.

"Yeah?"

"I think you owe me." She said, drawing her legs under her so she could sit up next to him. He just rolled his eyes.

"Really."

"Yeah. You cost me what was shaping up to be a very fun night." Tommy made a face.

"And how exactly am I supposed to make that up to you?" He asked, no suggestion in his tone. It struck Lindy that he would never ask her for anything, not unless she went there first. He obviously had feelings for her, but he was a good guy, and he was as respectful as they come. That just made him all the more attractive.

"I'm glad you asked." She told him. She leaned over, kissing him, hard. His quick intake of breath told her she'd taken him completely by surprise, but then his arm snaked around her waist, pulling her into his lap. Her hand fisted in his hair, pulling a little, and he bit down on her bottom lip in response. He deepened the kiss, coaxing her mouth open, and he tasted like mint and liquor and _Tommy_. She moaned his name as it dominated her thoughts, and her hands slid down to undo his shirt, but he pulled away. They just looked at each other for a moment, panting, and then he scrubbed his hand over his face.

"What are doing, Lindy?" His eyes were hooded, glazed almost, but she could see something sad in them. He thought this was about Jake. He thought it didn't mean anything, and that was her fault. She smiled, cupping his face in her hands.

"You're the reason I've been so punchy the last couple of weeks. Every time I see you I want to jump you in the middle of the precinct." Disbelief crossed his features, and Lindy leaned back in his lap, frowning down at him. "I like you Tommy. I just-I worry about you. It's dangerous getting involved with me, you know that." As though the pieces were finally clicking into place, he exhaled.

"You're worried about _me_?" He sounded completely shocked, and Lindy knew he worried about her, but she was starting to think she hadn't realized how much. "You realize that's insane, right?" She pursed her lips.

"No, it isn't. Look, every guy that has gotten remotely close to me has died, except for Jake, and that's just because the killer was using him. I can't lose you Tommy. I mean that. I don't think I could do it." Lindy pressed her lips together, trying to keep them from trembling. She had spent a lot of time recently denying how much he meant to her, but she'd been lying to herself. She needed him. The softness on his face made her heart ache a little, and he pulled her in, wrapping both arms around her. For the first time, his touch brought comfort rather than arousal.

"You're not going to lose me."

"You can't promise me that." She said, thinking of Ben. He sighed.

"I guess not. But we're going to catch this guy, and you're going to be able to go on with your life, and you'll never have to see me again if you don't want to." Lindy laughed.

"Is that what you think? That I only come around because of the case? Why do you think I'm always butting in on your other cases. I come to be around you." She told him. Hesitated, then: "I'm scared."

"So we'll take it slow." He said, and she glanced up at him.

"What?"

"Maybe we don't rush into anything. Just take things one day at a time." Lindy narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"Are you saying-"

"No sex." She groaned. He smirked. Clearly this was doing a lot for his ego. "For now." She dropped her head onto his shoulder.

They stayed like that for a while, just holding each other, but eventually Lindy stood, holding out her hand.

"You should stay." She murmured. He eyed her dubiously. "I'll keep my hands to myself, I promise."

He stayed. It took her forty minutes to break her promise. Tommy had been counting on it.


End file.
